UGANDA

ENTEBBE - NKORINGO - RUSHAGA

ENTEBBE & BATWA "PYGMIES", BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST - DAY 1 & 2

Traveling around Africa can be a bit daunting, but totally worth it! Our first stop on our one month long Africa tour is the Gorilla Safari Camp in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. To get here from our last destination (Zurich, Switzerland) we had to fly 6 hours to Dubai, and then another 6 hours to Entebbe, Uganda where we spent the night. The next morning we caught a 7am flight on a small bush plane (fits about 11 people) to Kisoro, where we were then driven another 2 hours to the camp. The roads here are dirt and super bumpy, so every tour guide and driver loves to joke that you’re getting an "African massage". After a quick lunch and nap, we drove another hour and a half to meet the Batwa tribe (aka Pygmies) and get a tour of the way they used to live when they still lived in the forest. Their move out of the forest was actually quite recent, only happening in 1991. Though they are no longer in the forest, their living conditions have not changed much. They were all very friendly, and were so excited to give us a tour of their old way of life, where they dressed up and set up live demonstrations of the way they lived, cooked, hunted, and celebrated. One of their skits included a very animated man shooting an arrow from a bow into a tree trunk. Two children under the age of 5 did the same thing, and then when I tried, of course I broke the freakin bow! Hunter tried after they tied it all back together and made it look so easy. Typical! From here, our guide took us to the local market in Rubuguri village where they sell everything from clothes to shoes to vegetables. It was so lively, and there were SO many babies. I swear, there must have been more babies and toddlers than adults! Our guide led us around the corner to their hospital, where apparently anyone can just walk in (or out). The gates are wide open and I don’t think I saw a single employee. He led us to the backyard of the hospital, where we met his wife, his 2 year old son, and 2 day old baby. She had just had a C-section two days ago, yet there they were, casually hanging out on the dirty hospital lawn! On our way out, I noticed tons of flyers which read “He got circumcised because he cares! Getting circumcised reduces the chances of HIV”…. really? How about having protected sex and getting tested reduces the chance of HIV? Oh, Africa.

NKORINGO, BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST, GORILLA TREK - DAY 3

WHAT AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!! This is definitely something that everyone should put at the top of their bucket list. We drove an hour and a half to trek in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. There were 6 of us in our group, 8 being the maximum amount of people they allow on one trek, so we were lucky! You are guided through beautiful scenery down the mountain and then off the local path into the forest through thick greenery. Standing there in the misty mountains, our guide looked at us and said “Mzungu in the mist", which translates directly to "white people in the mist”! There were trackers who have left hours ahead of us to find where the gorillas were, and then notified our guide via walkie talkie. You never know how long, short, difficult, or easy a trek is going to be. Lucky for us, this particular gorilla family was hanging out not far from the entrance of the forest! This was the Nkoringo family, a large family of 12. Most gorilla families only consist of one silverback (an adult male who has reached full maturity). He is the most dominant and the leader of the family. However, this family consisted of two silverbacks. This is only possible if the other silverback is submissive to the leader and, in most cases, is the son of the dominant silverback. This submissive silverback clearly had his fair share of beat downs, wearing scars and a very fresh and deep cut. At first it was terrifying to be that close to these magnificent creatures, standing only 7 feet away from a sleeping, grunting, dominant silverback. However, after spending some time with the family, you begin feeling quite comfortable. There were two very playful babies, romping around and climbing trees. We were told the gorillas like to show off to the guests. This baby did so by showing us how he makes his nest up in some tree branches, and then demonstrated how he would sleep in it before quickly destroying it to swing around the branches some more and play with his friends. You are only allowed to spend one hour with the family in order to be respectful of their privacy, and that hour just flew by. Before we knew it, it was already time to say goodbye to the Nkoringo family. For the majority of the hour, the silverbacks and other adults slept, while the babies never stopped playing. Right as we were about to head off, the dominant silverback also decided it was time for his family to move on, which led to some beautiful family photos! It was as though they were posing for us! They then moved on to a fruit tree down the way for some snacks, and our group took one last look as we headed out of the forest and back up the mountain. Even though we were lucky that the gorillas were so close today, descending and climbing back up the mountain can be hard and is not for everyone. BUT- for $300 USD, you can hire a whole team of people to carry you on a stretcher! It seems totally ridiculous, but if you don’t think you are up for the hike it is totally worth it to see the gorillas. Plus, the local villagers appreciate the money! You can also hire a porter from the get-go for just $15 USD (or more, if you’re feeling generous) to carry your backpack and other items for you and give you a hand on the steeper parts of the climb. The weather was beautiful, the views were incredible, and our experience with the gorillas was like none other. We are so excited for tomorrow’s trek!

RUSHIGA, BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST, GORILLA TREK - DAY 4

Another absolutely amazing day! Today we went out to track the PLACE NAME HERE family, a family of 8 with just one silverback. This family is located in another part of Bwindi, only a 5 minute walk from where we are staying. Yesterday’s trek was more of a cardio challenge, if anything. Today’s trek was definitely harder because the terrain was quite demanding. This trek took place entirely in the forest and almost entirely through extreme thick greenery on very steep slopes with poor footing. Although we were walking through big bushes and trees, I was surprised at how few bugs there were! Yes, there were some little flying gnats and whatnot, but nothing big, scary, or dangerous. Not even a mosquito! We didn’t even come across any dangerous plants! Maybe we just got lucky, but I’d say thats a big plus for trekking through Bwindi. Anyhow, it took much longer to find the gorillas today, but although the trek was challenging and lengthy, it is always worth it! I can’t express enough how amazing it is to see these animals right in front of you in their natural habitat. It was much harder to see them today, as they were constantly moving around in the thick forest and we were constantly trying to play catch up. The moments we did witness, however, were magical. There was a tiny infant clinging to his mother, the silverback was lazily munching on some branches right in front of us, a juvenile playfully rolled down the mountainside, and we got yelled at by another who got separated from his family and wanted to scare us out of the way. Today we decided to hire a porter, although we didn’t need one. But like I said, its a great way to support their economy, and he was extremely helpful holding my hand through some very muddy, slippery, tricky parts of the forest.

All in all, the bits and pieces of Uganda that we were able to experience were wonderful. Their main language is English, US currency is accepted, and everyone here loves American country music!

Through our experience thus far, I’ve decided to make a list for those of you who may want to experience gorilla trekking in the future (which should be all of you).

ITEMS YOU WILL BE HAPPY TO HAVE WHILE GORILLA TREKKING:

1. A pair of REALLY good hiking boots. (Those who were just wearing sneakers really struggled.)

2. Lightweight long pants and long sleeve shirt. (The lighter the better! You should be completely covered to protect from bugs and plants, but want it light for when you get hot from the hike! I highly recommend Patagonia and Craghopper (which makes mosquito repellant clothes).)

3. Long comfortable socks. (You will need to tuck your pants into your socks to protect from safari ants gettin’ in yo pants! I got some soft wool blend socks that worked beautifully and don’t stink after a full day of hiking.)

4. A raincoat. (You may not need it, but it’s good to have! It rained both days for us, but just very lightly.)

5. A lightweight backpack. (You’re going to need this to carry water bottles, your lunch, camera, sunscreen, bugspray, etc.)

6. A really good camera with good zoom, to really catch the expressions on their faces.

7. Sunscreen for the sunny moments, and bugspray just in case.

8. Cash! American dollars work. This is to tip your tour guide and kindly hire a porter.

9. Gloves - we were told to bring them for grabbing on to tree branches etc. in the forest, but no one in our group used them.

Remember, each trek is different and requires different items/fitness levels!